Material handling carts mounted upon wheels must be anchored when transported within the cargo compartment of a truck, van, boxcar, or the like. For instance, shelved carts are widely used in the transportation and distribution of bread and bakery products, wherein the carts are loaded and then wheeled upon a truck for retail bread distribution. A variety of systems have been used to anchor the carts within the cargo compartment, including strap and buckle systems, and present cargo cart anchors are difficult to maintain, expensive, and do not have the desired versatility of installation and operation.
It is an object of the invention to provide a cargo cart anchor which may be readily used with a conventional cargo control track wherein the anchor may be readily attached to, or removed from, the track, but cannot be accidentally removed therefrom.
Another object of the invention is to provide a cargo cart anchor which is simple to operate, and wherein a single anchor is capable of being associated with two adjacent carts.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a cargo cart anchor of economical and rugged construction, utilizing stamped and readily fabricated components.
A further object of the invention is to provide a cargo cart anchor employing a screw operation to produce the anchoring force, and wherein vibration will not release the anchor.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a cargo cart anchor of a relatively rigid construction wherein the anchor pivots to a non-use storage condition adjacent the cargo compartment wall when not in use.
The cart anchor in accord with the invention includes a pair of telescoping tubular members interconnected by a screw operated through a hand crank. A hook is mounted upon the movable telescoping component for engaging cart structure. The fixed telescoping conduit supports a fitting whereby the anchor may be readily attached to a cargo control track mounted upon the wall of the cargo compartment.
The fitting includes a slotted U-shaped element adapted to be inserted into the cargo control track, and the fitting is locked to the track by means of a sliding retainer which prevents vertical fitting displacement to a position which would permit the fitting to be removed from the track.
The retainer is operated by the telescoping components of the cart anchor wherein raising of these components to an unusual predetermined position permits the retainer to be displaced to a position wherein the fitting may be removed from the cargo control track. This operation of the retainer is accomplished through a cam surface formed on the telescoping section pivotally affixed to the fitting.
The pivotal interconnection between the fitting and the telescoping components permits the telescoping components to pivot downwardly to a stored location adjacent the cargo compartment wall when the anchor is not in use.